WHAT HAPPENED: Henri Laaksonen and Peter Gojowczyk were living the dream walking on the sun-drenched Grandstand court on Friday at the US Open.
A career-first berth in a Grand Slam fourth round was on the line for the two veteran qualifiers.
It was Gojowczyk, the 32-year-old German, who grasped the brass ring and a guaranteed fourth-round payday of at least $265,000 with a solid 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 victory over his Swiss opponent.
Gojowczyk punctuated his career milestone win with a resounding ace on his first match point, followed by an emphatic fist pump before slumping into his chair to absorb the magnitude of the victory.
No. 141 in the world, Gojowczyk’s best previous US Open result was the second round in 2013 and 2014.
Five qualifers had advanced to the third round, the most at Flushing Meadows since 1984. This is just the fifth time since 2006 that a men’s qualifier has reached Round 4.
There was little to distinguish between Gojowczyk and his 29-year-old Swiss opponent, ranked No. 130 in the world. The two were mirror images of each in playing style, appearance, demeanor and even attire.
And on the stat sheet, there was little to separate the two. Both committed 42 errors, though the German dramatically cut down on his miscues after making 18 in the opening set. Gojowczyk had 26 winners, one more than Laaksonen.
WHAT IT MEANS: Look up perseverance and you will see Gojowczyk’s name. He won five-set marathons in his opening two rounds and that came after winning three qualifying matches last week.
In 2018 he was ranked as high as No. 39 after making the finals at Delray Beach and Geneva.
Presently at No. 141 in the world, this will almost certainly improve his standing in the next ATP rankings.
MATCH POINT: The best finish by a qualifier at the US Open was the quarterfinals, last done by Gilles Muller in 2008. With an expected matchup next against third-seeded and French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, can Gojowczyk equal that with a huge upset?
